Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Fall 2013 issue of The Affiliate Newsletter just wrapped up production. In this issue:

West Coast Partner Brings SI to LA

Get a peek at several Smithsonian collaborations at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles that are helping to tell the American story through the Japanese story.

2013 conference attendees participated in hands-on workshops at ImagiNATIONS education space in the National Museum of the American Indian.

Connecting Communities, Classrooms, and Colleagues at the 2013 National Conference

A record-breaking 119 attendees from 74 Affiliates attended the 2013 Affiliations National Conference. Check out some conference photos and see what your Affiliate colleagues said about the meeting.

Hanging Out with Elvis in Fort Worth

Guest author Amy Henderson, cultural historian at the National Portrait Gallery, shares her experience visiting Fort Worth Museum of Science and History while the Elvis at 21 exhibition was on display.

Smithsonian EdLab Shares New Twist to Digital Learning

Smithsonian EdLab workshops at four Affiliates demonstrated the power of going beyond the walls of the classroom to create a 21st-century idea of what education can be.

Announcing the I. Michael Heyman Smithsonian Across America Fund

Weâ€™re announcing a new fund to support the work of Smithsonian Affiliations in sharing resources with people in their own communities.

2013 Intern Partners and Visiting Professionals

Quick highlights from our four Affiliate staff members and one Affiliate intern during their residencies at the Smithsonian.

Ed Nichols, History Colorado director, and Harold Closter, Smithsonian Affiliations director view Jefferson’s Bible before it is displayed at History Colorado (Denver).

A Conversation with History Colorado

Five questions with History Colorado about the impact of bringing Thomas Jeffersonâ€™s Bible to the Denver community.

Smithsonian In Your Neighborhood

A recap of events, exhibitions and programs in Affiliate neighborhoods from May to October 2013.

It’s the Friday before Thanksgiving break. We’re all excited about seeing friends and family and taking a little break from school and work. So here are a few ideas for including the Smithsonian in your holiday plans from our Affiliate partners across the country:

Midwest

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Elmhurt, Illinois, hosts Modern Designer Jewelry from the Smithsonian, an exhibition that features jewelry from American Jewelry designers from 1960 to 2009 from the collections of the National Museum of Natural History.

Mid-Atlantic

Take an in-depth look at Pennsylvania’s significant role during the Civil War at the Senator John Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh. In its new major exhibition, Pennsylvania’s Civil War, you can find a tintype camera and portable printing press on loan from the National Museum of American History.

Mountain Plains

Apollo Boilerplate Command Module on loan from the National Air and Space Museum.

More than 21 artifacts on loan from the National Air and Space Museum are on view at the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamagordo. Get an up-close look at an Apollo Boilerplate Command Module and see the training coveralls worn by New Mexico astronaut, Harrison Schmitt, the only scientist to walk on the moon.

If youâ€™re in San Antonio, the Institute of Texan Cultures is currently displaying two exhibitions from the National Museum of the American Indian and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES). Native Words, Native Warriors tells the story of soldiers from more than a dozen tribes who used their Native languages while in service in the U.S. military. Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America celebrates the vibrancy, creativity and history of American Indian skateboarding culture.

New England

It wouldnâ€™t be Thanksgiving without the rich tradition of gathering together at harvest time and celebrating the abundant joys of the season. At Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, visitors can learn all about the settlement of the Plymouth Colony in the 17th century.

Southeast

Go on safari at the Schiele Museum of Natural Historyin Gastonia, North Carolina. Fourteen specimensâ€”from a tiny eastern mole to a mountain gorillaâ€”are on loan from the National Museum of Natural History.

The Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida, includes five works of art from the National Air and Space Museum collection in its exhibition Paintings of the Space Age.

The Mennello Museum of American Art in Orlando, Florida, has Earl Cunninghamâ€™s painting Seminole Indian Summer Camp on view from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in its Earl Cunningham gallery.Â

West

Arizona State Museum, in Tucson, celebrates the creative work of American Indian directors, producers, writers, and actors during the Native Eyes Film Showcase, in collaboration with the National Museum of the American Indian and many others.

If youâ€™re in California, visit the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles and see I Want the Wide American Earth: An Asian Pacific American Story. Created by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and organized for travel by SITES, the exhibit tells the story of how Asian Pacific Americans have shaped and been shaped by the course of our nation’s history.

Several years ago the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences (MOAS) was looking for ways to increase attendance during the traditionally slow month of September.Â After a few brainstorming sessions, the curatorial and education departments came up with a brilliant idea to tie September MOAS with the Smithsonian Affiliations program.Â Access to the Smithsonian’s vast offerings is a perfect fit for MOAS’s educational goals.Â Â We wanted to try something radical and different- something that had never been done before. Â Thus came September with the Smithsonian. It proved to be all we had hoped for, and now is in its third year.

This year we included Smithsonian Affiliates from around the state to lend their expertise to content. This year also marks the 500th Anniversary of the discovery of Florida by Juan Ponce de Leon.Â Florida has been celebrating with statewide initiative called Viva 500. Naturally, our theme for this yearâ€™s event focused on Florida’s history and natural history. The ideas revolve around having a Smithsonian related event every week during the month and on different days.Â The first key to success was to contact our Affiliate National Outreach Manager Alma Douglas and discuss our theme. With Almaâ€™s expertise, she was able to guide us to the resources and make contacts for our event.

Our first week started out with Dr. Valerie Paul, Director of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.Â Her presentation, Exploring Floridaâ€™s Marine Environment, focused on the mission of the Smithsonianâ€™s center and how it relates to Floridaâ€™s all-important ecosystems.Â Dr. Paul highlighted the cutting edge research that the Smithsonian is conducting for medical research and the important issues in Floridaâ€™s fragile coral reef ecosystems.

Our second week, Chuck Meide, Underwater Archaeologist from St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum, a fellow Smithsonian Affiliate, gave a presentation on the underwater archaeological excavation of a colonial era shipwreck.Â It sank off the entrance of St. Augustine Inlet during the British loyalist evacuation of Charleston in 1782.

Dr. Kathleen Lyons in an interview with WROD’s Cadillac Jack at the MOAS Natural History Festival. Photo courtesy MOAS.

September with the Smithsonian heated up in the third week of the month with our annual weekend event MOAS Natural History Festival.Â It focused on the natural history of Florida and featured huge displays of fossils, shells, minerals and other specimens.Â Community partners such as the local Audubon Society, local fossil club, and many other organizations made this community event a hit with families. Dr. Kathleen Lyons from the Department of Paleobiology at the National Museum of Natural History presented two lectures focusing on the legacy of the giant ice age animals that once dominated Florida landscape from Giant Ground Sloths to Mastodons.

Members of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. Photo courtesy MOAS.

The Jazz Masterworks Orchestra conducted a matinee jazz show for kids called Swinginâ€™ with the Smithsonian Junior. Â Young musicians from the community flocked to the performance to hear this great educational event. The musicians demonstrated their instruments, discussed the concept of jazz music, and focused the importance of playing an instrument no matter what age or level you are at.

The featured evening event was under the executive direction of Kennith Kimery and artistic director and principal saxophonist Charlie Young.Â Â With special guest vocalist Lena Seikaly, it showcased the music of legendary songstress Ella Fitzgerald. The audience was treated to some of Ellaâ€™s best and most famous works.

The Museum of Arts and Sciences, Daytona Beach Florida has developed a long-standing relationship with the Smithsonian Affiliations program to bring resources to our community that would normally be out of reach.Â The ability to bring in scholars, programs, and artifacts has allowed the MOAS to enrich our members and community and inspire lifelong learning.